Climbing High: Lake Region Grad Ronnie Dickson Motivates Through Work and Play

Monday

Oct 1, 2012 at 11:57 PM

Ronnie Dickson, once a prosthetics patient, has now become a certified prosthetist.Dickson, 25, a former Lake Region High School prom king from Winter Haven, found the world of prosthetics so interesting from his own experience of losing a leg at age 18, he made the field his future.

LISA COFFEYTHE LEDGER

Ronnie Dickson, once a prosthetics patient, has now become a certified prosthetist.

Dickson, 25, a former Lake Region High School prom king from Winter Haven, found the world of prosthetics so interesting from his own experience of losing a leg at age 18, he made the field his future.

With an ever-present upbeat attitude, Dickson is both inspired by others like him and inspiring to others.

He works for Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in Orlando, where he did his residency, and was hired as a full-time employee a little more than two years ago.

"I love it," he said. "It's an experience I can relate to. I wanted to help other people and help them achieve their goals. You work with them one on one and help them put together their lives."

Dickson's company receives the prosthetic feet and legs from the manufacturer, makes the socket and fits it to the patient.

"We assemble them in-house," Dickson said.

Plus, for the past four years, Dickson has been traveling around the country, giving rock-climbing and bouldering clinics for the disabled.

"It's so satisfying," he said. "I don't expect all the participants to love it and want to do it every single day. But knowing that they accomplish something that was difficult or that they couldn't do — that single moment is when you realize that we don't really have any boundaries. That's the main point I try to get across. It's all in your head really. We all have challenges. It's just how you overcome the challenges."

Dickson had his left leg amputated June 20, 2005. He was born with Trevor's disease, a rare bone-development disorder that caused a deformity in his ankle and knee.

He hasn't let his disability slow him down. He runs, swims, works out and competes in bouldering — all with his prosthetic leg.

"He's taken his disability and really channeled it into a way of helping others — even those without prosthetics," said friend and employer Stan Patterson. "There are certain people who are meant to motivate, and I think he's one of them."

Dickson was motivated while visiting a doctor in Orlando not long after his amputation. There, he read a magazine story on the O&P Extremity Games. He was intrigued by the sport of bouldering in which untethered participants climb using their feet and hands to feel and grab holes and outcroppings in rocks. Indoors they are tethered and climb high. In outdoor bouldering, participants bring mats to cushion falls. They typically climb 10 to 25 feet high.

"It seemed the most fun," Dickson said.

After reading the article, he found a bouldering facility in Tampa.

"I started climbing that night and loved it," he said.

His love has taken him all over the United States to climb, including Michigan, Texas and California. His favorite area is in Chattanooga. From there he is close to many other climbing areas.

His love took him to Paris, where he competed in the World Paraclimbing Championships earlier this month.

The event features all forms of climbing. Dickson was in the men's amputee division with 13 other climbers. He finished sixth.

"It was totally worthwhile," he said. "I met people and got to be part of it. Overall I thought it was a great experience. I would do it time and time again because of the people I met. It's a very small community still. In climbing, whether you are able-bodied or not, you have to learn how your body climbs. It was cool to be at the competition and paving the way for future generations and for others to see that this is what's possible in our sport."